Mohammad Hanif

Global Leader in Business Continuity & IT DR

*** ****** ********, *******, ** L3S 3W8, Canada

647-***-**** - 416-***-****

Email: ad4jax@r.postjobfree.com

Snapshot

Strategic business executive, offering several years’ track record in spearheading IT Security, Cyber Security, Business Continuity, IT operations across diverse organizations. Proficient in automating systems operations and business continuity primarily in the banking domain and a significant contributor in acquiring ISO 27001 certification for the organization. Distinguished author of technical articles published in magazines and websites, and an ardent speaker at IT in Banking & Finance Forums.

History of Excellence in…

IT Strategy & Business Planning ~ IT Enablement / Digital Transformation ~ IT / Business Strategy Alignment ~ IT Security Management ~ BCP & DR ~ Project/Program Management ~ Technology Consulting/Audits ~ Change / Risk Management Leadership Strengths & Highlights

Business Continuity &

Disaster Recovery

CBCI certified, Certified IT DR Specialist, Certified Risk Management Specialist, Certified Crisis Management Specialist, expert in business continuity and disaster recovery methodologies and industry best practices. In-depth experience facilitating the designing business continuity and disaster recovery plans. Advanced knowledge in IT Operating Systems, Hardware/Software and IT Architecture. Skilled at providing leadership, guidance to perform tasks during a disaster. IT Security

Management

Proven ability in rendering subject-matter expertise to manage vendor information security risk including periodic audits of internal and external auditors, information security, Cyber Security and business continuity controls.

IT Service Delivery

Solutions-oriented, expert in driving multiple high value technology/transformation projects, managing delivery for large & complex deals, collaborating with project teams, and deploying technology to build successful solutions and services for clients, ensuring delivery within assigned time, budget & quality parameters as well as exceeding client/business expectations. Business Acumen

Expert in aligning business goals with technology solutions to drive process improvements, competitive advantage and bottom-line gains; Ability to envision and lead technology-based, revenue and growth initiatives grounded solidly on business and economic value; Successfully designed & implemented technical solutions, delivering a strong ROI. Liaison & Coordination

Known for effectively coordinating and collaborating with senior management, customers, business partners, stakeholders and project teams; Successfully bridge the communication gap among business and technology groups.

Team Building &

Leadership

Visionary & decisive leader, noted for sound, practical management style and excellent organization, communication, presentation & interpersonal skills; Proven ability to lead and motivate large cross-functional and multi-cultural teams to maximize productivity, ensuring technical solutions meet business requirements.

Professional Experience

Canada Life Assurance, Toronto, Canada ~ Dec 2023

Senior IT Resilience and Recovery Lead

Managing and implementation process for IT Resilience and recovery for 500+ applications and systems at one of the largest Multinational Insurance and Investment Company in Canada. Key Highlights:

Contribute to the evolution of Canada Life’s technology operations management strategy and resiliency model

Align with business continuity policy and procedures as per enterprise BCM standards liaising with BCM team

Support the development and maintenance of resiliency, recovery strategies and plans to ensure the Canada Life’s ability to recover critical systems and operations.

Assist in the establishment, support, and streamline regulatory and related technology risk reporting, dashboard, and metrics (KRIs, KPIs, etc.)

Conduct resiliency and recovery maturity program assessments and application impact analyses to identify potential gaps and prioritize recovery efforts.

Collaborate with key stakeholders to confirm the validation of recovery objectives, RTOs (Recovery Time Objectives), and RPOs (Recovery Point Objectives) for critical systems and processes.

Orchestrate Exercises and Tests and validate disaster recovery plans regularly to ensure their effectiveness and make necessary adjustments based on test results.

Collaborate with IT teams to ensure the proper configuration and operation of backup systems and data replication processes.

Provide guidance and support to cross-functional teams during disaster recovery exercises ensuring timely and effective response and recovery.

Monitor industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in disaster recovery to continuously improve the organization's preparedness and response capabilities.

Document recovery procedures, processes, and policies, ensuring they are up to date and accessible to relevant stakeholders.

Conduct training and awareness sessions for employees to enhance their understanding of disaster recovery plans and their roles during recovery efforts.

Moneris Payment Solutions, Toronto, Canada ~ May 2022 – Dec 2023 Senior Disaster Recovery and Governance Lead

Implementation and managing disaster recovery for all the applications and systems at the largest payment processing company in Canada with over 3 billion transactions annually. Key Highlights:

Managed resources to develop a DR program strategy, policy, procedures, test plans and guidelines for IT systems recovery plans, reports and crisis management

Specially hired to establish a corporate IT DR and availability vision and provide strategic leadership for enterprise-wide resiliency services

Align with business continuity policy and procedures as per enterprise BCM standards liaising with BCM team

Align where possible with best practices and international standards

Responsible for resiliency long term strategic plans and business impact assessment

Work closely with Business Continuity Planning team and Moneris leadership to formulate resiliency at all levels

Lead all department management teams in provisioning and supporting the resiliency program

Served as resiliency leader to ensure Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) are defined and validated

Organize and manage resources for Disaster Recovery project plans, change management, failover and failback procedures

Identify KRIs and areas where existing policies and procedures may require modifications and/or develop new ones and report on a regular basis

Oversee table-top exercises and technical testing, including execution, monitoring and review and reporting

As part of the BCM leadership team, developing and designing Disaster Recovery program, framework and standards to ensure procedures and configurations are maintained and updated

Ensure configuration changes meet the overall strategy requirements and maximum resiliency is in place

Acted as senior resiliency resource for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Single Point of Contact (SPOC)

Educate and promote a resiliency culture by building awareness and presenting resiliency trends Gulf Investment Corporation, Kuwait ~ Jul 1998 – Feb 2022 Head of IT Services/Security and Business Continuity Key Highlights:

Designed Business Continuity Plan and established and tested three Disaster Recovery sites in and outside country

Significantly enhanced operational efficiency by using Cloud technology and outsourcing many services

Eliminated Friday and Saturday operator shifts through automation of operator tasks

Successfully implemented VoIP solution first time in the Gulf region to replace traditional PBAX Key Responsibilities:

Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery

Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate the enterprise Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and IT Disaster Recovery Plan

(DRP) based on industry standards (ISO 22301) to meet critical goals and objectives to ensure all IT services are restored and business resumes normally in the event of a disaster. Contribute in the formation of Business Impact Analysis (BIA)

Ensures the BCP and DRP program aligns with established standards of practice, organizational policies and objectives, and applicable legislations and regulations. Lead the coordination and management of recovery activity in the event of a disaster. Establish Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective (RPO/RTO)

Provide leadership and guidance in the development, implementation and evaluation of IT strategies and initiatives related to DRP. Lead the teams for disaster recovery tests or in case of a real disaster to recover the systems back to normal performance. Provide guidance to the IT teams to the methodologies related to invocation of the DRP

Define and implement criteria for systems’ and applications’ recoverability and availability capabilities

Maintain the current state recovery measures for all IT infrastructure and applications with a view to mitigating disruption to the delivery of IT services in the event of a disaster

Make ongoing assessments of the BCP and DRP and prepare analysis for further improvement and/or other better alternatives for existing solutions defining costs and implementation schedules

Coordinate with other teams in the preparation of user guides and training materials. Perform training for the staff and presentations to the end users and the management on BCP goals and objectives and how the process works in a real disaster

Information Security Management

Define policies, practices and procedures as well as generate awareness for protection of key electronic business assets

Evaluate trends in information technology and security with potential impact on security of processes, infrastructure, customers or suppliers

Maintain strategic/tactical roadmaps related to information security program rollout and enhancements

Collaborate with senior management on critical security issues and recommending security risk-reduction solutions

Evaluate cyber security requirements and ongoing compliance for outsourced or contract relationships Team Leadership

Groom & mentor team members in enhancing client satisfaction by ensuring compliance to project delivery schedules and other SLA parameters

Evaluate team performance and render productivity enhancement feedback. Organize training sessions for team members based on identified training needs

Spearhead team efforts in acquiring ISO 27001 Certification for the organization, implementing New Core Banking System as well as setting up & testing of three disaster recovery sites: Local, Bahrain, Luxembourg Previous Assignments

Organization Designation Duration

Aetna Life Insurance Company, Canada Systems Engineer Oct 1996 – Mar 1998 Gulf Investment Corporation, Kuwait Data Centre/Security Manager Aug 1986 – Oct 1996 Al-Rajhi Banking & Investment Group, Saudi Arabia Operations Supervisor Jul 1983 – Jul 1986 United Bank Ltd, Pakistan Computer Operations Officer Aug 1979 – Jul 1983 Credentials

Academics:

Master of Science (Computer Science), Kennedy-Western University, Idaho, USA (1993) Bachelor of Science (Mathematics, Statistics, Physics), University of Karachi (1975) Accreditation:

CBCI, Certified IT DR Specialist, Certified Risk Management Specialist, Certified Crisis Management Specialist, Project Management, ITIL Foundation, ISO 27001 Certification, Publishing technical articles, Speaker at various Forums, Multiple Technical Courses/Seminars and IT Exhibitions

Awards:

The World CIO 200 Award of Legend, Who is Who of Financial Technology

Contact this candidate